


Their Stories Told

by MaddieBoBaddie



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Dream Smp, Family Dynamic, Fluff, Hurt, Mild Language, Minor Injuries, One Shot, l'manberg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27036019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieBoBaddie/pseuds/MaddieBoBaddie
Summary: A collection of one shots set in the universe of my seriesWho Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Their Stories. Mostly ideas and inspirations I have that don't really fit into the plot or are outside the time frame of the main story. May be adding some more lore to the universe as well. Honestly, this is mainly for me to get stuff out of my brain and into writing.You don't need to have read the story in order to read the one shots, though it may help with the background of the universe since it differs slightly from the real Dream SMP.*Might consider taking requests but I won't promise anything, mainly because everything here will be canon in my other fic and I want to keep characters and events consistent*
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	1. World Building References

I wanted to start by posting some behind the scenes, so to speak. I have a personal document of events, timelines, and other references that I use to lay out my universe. Because I personally have always been interested in world building, I thought I'd share some of that here. It may also make things clearer when reading the main story. (If you're just here for the one shots, go ahead and skip to the next chapter. I won't be offended). 

First off, to better understand the context of the one shots I need to establish a sort of timeline. The main story (so far) spans across nine years, starting from the moment that Essempee was formed. Since the actual years of the events are purposefully ambiguous, I'll be referring to the timing by how long it's been since Essempee was created: starting at Year 1, and going to Year 9 when the main story is taking place. Ages of characters may be important, so for clarities sake I'll post how old each member is at the start of Year 1 and how old they would be in Year 9:

> Wilbur, George, Punz: 16 ~ 25
> 
> Dream, Eret: 14 ~ 23
> 
> Fundy: 13 ~ 22
> 
> Sapnap: 12 ~ 21
> 
> Niki: 11 ~ 20
> 
> Tommy, Tubbo: 9 ~ 18

(These are all based on their real life ages, obviously because of birthdays the exact timing may be off a bit, but these are approximations that I took into account while writing.)

Here's a timeline of major events, this shouldn't be a spoiler if you already know what's happening in the Dream SMP but I'll throw in a [POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT] just in case. The additions unique to my universe aren't really spoilers either, I set them up early in the fic as background knowledge.

> Year 1: The group of survivors settle in a large area of land, dubbing it Essempee, and begin building a wall around the circumference to keep out monsters/unwanted people. 
> 
> Year 2: The wall is completed. Towards the end of the year unrest causes citizen to start planning a rebellion against Dream. Wilbur moves himself and a group of people outside the city limits to avoid the conflict. The community they create is soon named "The Outskirts" by Dream.
> 
> Year 3: The rebellion takes place, the rebels lose and are banished to The Outskirts
> 
> Years 4-8: Essempee remains steady for this stretch, Dream ostracizes the people on The Outskirts to make an example of the few rebels that now live there
> 
> Year 9: L'Manberg is formed and the events of the war take place. 

The only other piece of info I can think to add now would be the map I drew of Essempee/L'Manberg. It's not super accurate in terms of scale or exact layout, but it helps give a better idea of what the area looks like. (The paper on top is hiding actual spoilers I doodled around the map).

> If there's anything else people wanted to know more about, feel free to ask! I may add a chapter simply dedicated to random canon facts for the story. I have a lot of ideas floating in my head. If nothing else this is just for my enjoyment and organization!


	2. Head Cannons and More World Building

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These head cannons are more specific to the background and world building for the story, basically any pre-story plot points that I couldn't fit into the writing but I still felt were important to the character development. I plan to post more fun head cannons later, but they may be on my Tumblr instead so I can use this collection for one-shots instead.

One thing I want to highlight with these head cannons, and with the whole series, is that these characters are _**young**_. This is something I’ve intentionally set up in this universe, because it brings forth another layer of character development. Everyone in this series is under 30. That means the societies, the wars, the conflicts, it’s all happening amongst young people. Yes, they’ve all grown up fast in order to maintain a functioning society amongst the apocalyptic world they’re in, but they’re still barely out of their teenage years. Had they been older the whole dynamic would be different. They’re very much growing themselves and having to navigate their own development, facing the consequences of choices and actions they weren’t ready to make.

  * No one knows what caused the outbreak that wiped out most of society, or why younger people had better immunity. The time between when the plague hit and when the young people had to evacuate was about a month; there wasn't enough time to fully process the trauma of it all, it fully hit the survivors at different times in the months following. 
  * After the diseases and mutations destroyed societies, a lot of people changed their names or went by childhood nicknames. It was easier to let go of the trauma of the past if they got rid of the name tied to it. 
  * The group that formed the new Essempee didn’t all know each other when they started rebuilding society; some were close friends to begin with, but others became friends after the fact.
  * Because so many young children and infants were present it was up to the older teens to take on the role of parenting. Older siblings took charge of their family, but those who had no connections were taken in by friends or anyone willing to adopt them in. 
    * Tubbo first lived with Eret for a few years until they moved to the Outskirts before the first rebellion. He stayed with Wilbur after that to allow Eret more time to lead the process of building homes and structures for the Outskirts.
  * Dream didn’t intentionally take on the role of leader, but people listened to him and he eventually came around to becoming the unelected ruler. Everyone was fine with his leadership until he became more controlling, he didn’t have representation from the people, instead making laws and regulations based off what he thought was best. This is when people started having a problem with him. Dream saw that as an attack on their nation, not an attack on him individually. He could no longer disconnect himself from Essempee, they became one in the same in his mind. 
    * His close friends acted as his unofficial committee, but he had ultimate say. Even if it was a more balanced system, George, Sapnap, and anyone else close to him had the interests of their group at the forefront of their minds, so the representation wouldn't be present regardless.
  * Wilbur had a hard time deciding who to take with him when he fled to the Outskirts. He wanted to do it quietly and without fuss, so he started off with only 30 people, only those who he was closest to and knew he could trust. Eret, Tubbo, Fundy, and Niki were among them, but Tommy wasn’t, seeing as Wilbur didn’t know Tommy too well at the time. Others joined the Outskirts slowly, some to escape the oncoming war, and later when the ex-rebels were banished there after their defeat.
  * The rebellion against Dream lasted a few months, there were about forty people who actively fought against him. By the end of it, only a dozen were left alive, all of whom were sent out of the inner city after facing punishments for their crimes. 
    * Anyone over the age of 18 (those considered adults legally) were imprisoned for 6 months and fined heavily. Anyone younger than that was simply banished, but were given records describing the crimes they committed. Anyone with a record was barred from the main city of Essempee and any of the institutions inside of it.
    * Even though Tommy had only just turned 11 when the rebellions started, he was still given a record since he aided the rebels. He didn't directly fight Dream with the rebels, but he was involved behind the scenes. He also meddled with Dream and his men through misdemeanors like pickpocketing, vandalism, etc. Technically speaking, Tommy isn't allowed into Essempee because of his record, though the restrictions weren't as heavily enforced because he was so young at the time.
  * When Tommy was banished to the Outskirts he stayed with someone he knew from the rebellion, a 17 year old named Vik. Most of the ex-rebels kept to themselves in fear of being judged or harassed. The Outskirts were kind to them though, and they eventually realized it was a safe place.
  * Tommy didn’t really know Tubbo until he was banished to the Outskirts. He got to know him because Tubbo was the only one who talked to him at school. Everyone else was scared of Tommy because they knew he was a part of the rebellion. They were 11 when they met, and it wasn't long before they became best friends. 
    * The first time Wilbur interacted with Tommy, aside from the initial greeting when they were accepted into the Outskirts, was when Tommy came to Wilbur's house to find Tubbo. The two were playing in the area outside the house, and Wilbur kept an eye on him. As the months went on he also became close to Tommy, acting as a mentor as the boy navigated life on the Outskirts. 
    * Tommy eventually drifted away from his old friendships with the ex-rebels after meeting Tubbo, Wilbur, and the others. Part of it was that Tubbo was actually his age - the youngest rebel besides Tommy was 15 - so he had finally had someone he considered his peer rather than an elder. Additionally, his new friend group had a different vibe than the rebels; the ex-rebels were intense, they had a negative view on the world, and made no attempt to create a more positive life for themselves. Tommy didn't want to dwell on what he'd been through, so he tried to forget and move past it as he started fresh on the Outskirts
  * A lot of the older teens had skills from their own apprenticeships or education, everyone was delegated jobs based on their strong suits.
  * The older people in Essempee decided that schooling would be limited in their new society, since they needed people to take up jobs of the community. Kids would go to school for 9 years- between 5 and 14- once they turned 15 they would pick someone to be an apprentice for to help with the work load and eventually take on that job. 
    * Tubbo took an apprenticeship with Eret, partially because he was interested in being a blacksmith, but mainly because he knew Eret so well and felt comfortable with him. 
    * Tommy first took an apprenticeship with Fundy at the tavern. However, he never was able to keep interest long enough in any position and bounced around a lot in the two years between him leaving school and the war starting.
  * The day Tommy turned 15 he and Tubbo moved into their own home together. Before that Tubbo had still been living with Wilbur, Tommy had lived with Vik until he was 13 but moved in with Niki to distance himself from his past in Essempee. They were both very excited to have the responsibility of being on their own. 
    * They needed a lot of help at the beginning. Tubbo did alright with being in charge of himself, it took Tommy a bit longer to develop self-responsibility skills. Wilbur, Eret, Niki, and Fundy took turns coming around to make sure they had bought food for meals or had washed their clothes in the past week. 
  * In Essempee, Dream's primary job was to be ruler. Before he made George, Sapnap, and Punz full-time officers they had other jobs in Essempee. Punz did both farming and beekeeping, George was a fisherman, and Sapnap worked at the quarry and in the mines.




	3. I Can Make It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy thinks he can make the jump to the next tree. Tubbo does not. 
> 
> Spring of Year 4

"I can make the jump."

"No you absolutely cannot."

The two twelve year-olds stared intently at the tree several feet away from them. From their elevated position atop the sturdy limb they stood on now, it didn't seem as far away as it actually was. There had to have been a good five feet, Tubbo guessed, between their branch and the branch Tommy was aiming to leap for. It jutted out towards them almost perfectly, the lack of twigs and leaves blocking the path practically begged him to take the challenge.

"No, you're wrong. I can make it," Tommy shifted his weight, causing the limb to sway and nearly send Tubbo toppling over. He gripped onto the nearest branch he could find, steadying himself with an irritated glare.

"You're actually stupid. Like actually." Tubbo shook his head, gently pulling on his friends sleeve to urge him back towards the trunk. Tommy waved him off with a high pitched, contesting noise. "

I'm gonna make it across, then you'll be the stupid one," He prodded, trying to find the best footing to launch himself across the gap. Tubbo could see the determination in the boy's eyes. If there was one thing he knew about his best friend, it was that he was stubborn, and when someone told him 'no' he took that as a challenge. Tommy found his balance, swinging his arms back and forth as he prepared himself.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Tubbo burst out, earning an annoyed look from Tommy. "What if instead, we get down carefully, and race to see who can get to the top of the tree first?"

Tommy just ignored him, once again preparing to jump. Tubbo knew it was helpless, and resorted to clinging onto the branch above him and praying for the best. He could barely watch as Tommy swung his arms, giving him momentum as he stepped forward with one foot and pushed off with the other. He seemed to move in slow motion, limbs flailing as he crossed the gap. For just a moment Tubbo thought he might actually make it, but gravity was stronger than Tommy's efforts. As he neared the tree he realized he wasn't anywhere close enough, and made a desperate attempt to grab at the branches. He managed to land a hand on the bark of the limb, but didn't have a solid enough hold and slipped right off. Tubbo let out an involuntary gasp as he watched Tommy fall the six foot drop back to the ground, landing half on his knees and catching the rest of his body with his right arm. Everything seemed fine for a second, until Tommy let out a howl of pain. 

Tubbo immediately jumped down from his spot, pain shooting up his legs at the impact of the ground. It barely registered with him as he dashed towards Tommy.

"Oh my gosh! Tommy what happened? What hurts?" Tubbo crouched next to him, too afraid to touch him and aggravate an injury. Tommy groaned loudly, rolling onto his left side and clutching his right arm. Tubbo could now see the abnormally large bump protruding from the shoulder. 

"Shit shit shit -" Tubbo mumbled, pacing back and forth, rapidly shifting between trying to help Tommy up and not wanting to make it worse. 

"Just.. get me.. up.. bitch," Tommy grunted, and Tubbo did his best to prop his friend up by his good shoulder. Tommy let out one more command as the two hobbled back towards the village

"We gotta get Wilbur."

Tubbo's calls could be heard long before he came into view. Wilbur was enjoying the quiet afternoon, lost in a book, when he heard his name being shouted above the afternoon breeze. His heart dropped, recognizing the young boys voice immediately. He threw the book to the side and rushed out his front door, desperately looking for the source of the voice. When he finally saw Tommy being shuffled down the dirt road, he feared the worst. Had the boy gone off and harassed Sapnap and George again? It was only a matter of time before his reckless delinquency earned him an injury.

"What happened?" He questioned, taking a quick visual examination of Tommy. 

"Well.. so I was - it was - "Tommy stuttered, trying to seem dignified before Tubbo cut him off.

"He fell out of a tree."

Wilbur sighed, almost letting out a chuckle. Not what he was expecting, but not at all surprising. He asked Tubbo to let go off Tommy, noticing the swelling from his shoulder. He ushered the two into his cottage, guiding Tommy in and pulling out a seat for him. Tubbo sat nearby, still giving enough space for Wilbur to work. The man wasted no time in diagnosing the injury. Tommy tried to mask his cries of pain as Wilbur gently pulled off the shirt he was wearing, now able to get a good look at his shoulder. The skin was red, but not bruising. The displacement wasn't drastic either, giving Wilbur some relief. He nodded, sitting back. 

"That's what I figured, you've got a dislocated shoulder," Wilbur commented, rolling up his sleeves and scooting in closer to injury. "Do you want to hold Tubbo's hand? This is gonna hurt."

Tommy hmphed out a breath of air, shaking his head as best he could. "I'm no sissy."

"Suit yourself," Wilbur muttered, grabbing Tommy's arm and pulling it out to the side. He twisted it so his palm was facing up, pushing upwards slowly. Tommy let out a high-pitched squeal, which Wilbur ignored, continuing until the arm settled back into place. The moment the joint was back in its socket Tommy let out a sigh of relief. The sharp pain was now replaced with a dull ache, his shoulder mobile again. Wilbur didn't say anything as Tommy rubbed at the sore spot, he just went to get a cold towel.

"Try not to move it around too much for the next day or so, after that do some simple stretches to keep it limber. A cool towel may help with the swelling for now, if it's still sore in a few days come and see me," Wilbur instructed, placing the wet rag to the injury. Tommy moaned.

"That's gonna be so boring though!" He protested, "What am I meant to do if I can't use my good arm?"

"I told you it wasn't a good idea to try and jump to that tree," Tubbo teased, dropping his worried state now that he knew his friend was okay. Tommy furrowed his brow.

"Oh shut up!"

"What are you gonna do, make me?" Tubbo pushed further, sticking out a playful tongue. Tommy started to stand, full intention to tackle the boy to the ground, but Wilbur placed a firm hand on top of his head to hold him in his spot. 

"There will be no rough housing for a while Tommy Innit," The older man said with chuckle. Tubbo giggled, fully enjoying the fact that Tommy couldn't do anything to stop the onslaught of taunts he could now throw at him. 

"When my shoulder heals you better watch out, Tubbo." Tommy tried to keep a straight face, but the laughs of his best friend overpowered his will, and he couldn't hold back a smile of his own. 


End file.
